History of US Newspapers

Colonial Period: 1690-1783

• Publick Occurrences - first colonial newspaper, 1690
• Most papers from London
• Bought and read by wealthy minority
• British government required license to print

Newsgathering

1. Other Newspapers
2. Ship's Captains
3. Letters to the Editor

Characteristics of News

• At least 1 month, typically 6 months old.
• News from hundreds of miles away.
• No local news.
• No editorial pages
• Join or Die - Pennsylvania Gazette, May 9, 1754

Independence and Civil War Period: 1783-1870

1. Rising Literacy
2. Nation-States
3. Postal System
4. Urban Life
5. Civic Engagement
6. Technology

African-American Press

Freedom's Journal - Samuel Cornish & John B. Russwarm, 1827
North Star - Frederick Douglass: "Right is of no sex, truth is of no color, God is the father of us all, and all we are brethren."

Four Major Changes in Newspapers

1. Sunday papers
2. Increase in advertising
3. Sensationalism
4. Wire services and salaried journalists

The Industrial Revolution: 1870-1910

• Number of papers continue to rise.
• Powerful, giant press technology = ten thousand complete papers per hour.
• First "pictorial" weekly newspapers, Lady's Book

Characteristics of Newspapers

• Features of the modern newspaper
  • bold banner headlines
  • extensive use of illustrations
  • funny pages
  • coverage of organized sporting events
• Yellow Journalism
  • investigative reporting
  • biased, sensational news reporting.
• Newspaper chains